Game apparatus



Jan. 19 1926. 1,569,893

' H. w. STEINMETZ GAME APPARATUS Filed Jan. 18, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan; 19 1926.

H. w.. STEINMETZ an: Armnrus 7 Filed Jan. 18. 1922 2- Shoets-ShedtZ Patented Jan, 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,569,893 PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN W.' STEINMETZ, ROCHESTEB N YORK.

GAME I APPARATUS.

Applicationfiled January 18, 1922. Serial'No. 530,205.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN WV. STEIN- METZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in thecounty of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certainv new and useful Improvements in Game Ap-.

' toys, and more particularly to games in which a projectile is caused to traverse a runway set with hazards, and my invention has for its object to'provide a game apparatus playable in imitation of a baseball game and in which improved means, are employed for firing the projectile and for timmg or retarding progress comparativelyto relative timing of long and short hits on a baseball field. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a game apparatus constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough on the line 2-2 of Figural;

Fi ure 3 is a detail enlarged section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figured is a perspective view of one'of thecounters;

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal section taken beneath the cover ofthe upper runway showing the timing devices;

Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse section taken through the lower end of the game board and showing the pro'ecting means;

Figure 7 is an enlarge vertical section through the projector;

Figure 8 is an enlarged vertical section through a timing device, and

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary verti-' cal section taken on t e line"9--9 of Figure .5 looking in the direction of'the arrow.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

My improved. game board is preferably rectangular inform, as shown in Figure 1,

and enclosed by side rails orwalls 1, a'front rail 2 and a rear rail 3 in the vicinity of which is a suitable folding or other leg 4 adapted to maintain the'game boardata slight incline. As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, the bottom of the board constitutes a lower runway 5 while above it and concealing'it is an upper runway 6 shorter than the lower one but substantially parallel therewith. The upper runway is made'to simufllate a baseball field anddiamond with the home plate 7 at the front and first. second and third bases as indicated at 8. 9 and 101. These bases and the home'plate are inthe form of sockets into which counters 11 representing the runners are'adapted to be placed;

The opposing players in the field are represented by pockets 12 in the playing positions of. the pitcher, first, second and third baseman, shortstop and the threefielders. They open toward the rear'or toward the incline and constitute hazards acting against the ball projectile 13 when rolled down the runway in the manner hereinafter described. If the ball avoids, the hazard it rolls down to and lodges against a front rail 14.- on the upper runway. The pockets 12 may be made of paper, fiber, thin metal or other material doubled over as shown in detail in Figure 3 and'nailed down edgewise by a brad 15.

Mounted in the front rail 2 of the board is a projector" or firing device for shootlngthe ball 13 up the lower runway 5. It consists inthe present instance of aplunger 16 arranged in a cavity 17 in thefront rail 2 of the board and provided with an intermediate shoulder 18 by means of which a sprin coiled about it Within the'cavitv hol s it normally retracted as to its front end, while its rear end 20 projects out from the other side of the rail 2, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 7. Pivoted to this side of the rail and near its bottom at 21 in a suitable bracket 22 is a hammer 23 actuated by a spring 24.- coiled about its pivot. This spring 24 is superior t0 the spring 19 so that when'thehammer is drawn down to the dotted line position of Figure 7 and allowed to snap back to the projectile 13-the player rolls the projectile ho plunger 16 while he holds the-hammer 23 13 down this runway into the path of the back and part of his skill in playing the full line position'it will project the plunger game is exhibited in releasing the hammer" in time to cause the plunger to be projected just as the ball 13 reaches it to shoot the ball up the lower runwa 5. Every time the p ayer misses accomp ishing this a strike is called against him.

According to the proper timing or-coordination of the movement just described the ball 13 travels straight up the lower runway 5 or at a tangent. If it reaches the top of said runway with any force it strikes a curved guide 26 located there and leading to the edge of the rear end of the upper runway 6. It travels up this guide and is deposited on the up er runway beneath a covering board 27 that conceals the upper or forward end of the board and the initial movement of the ball 13 when it first strikes the upper runway. Adgacent to the guide 26 on the under side 0 the board 27 is a yielding butter 28 in the present form of a rubber or similar rib extending transversely above the end of the upper runway. This arrests the speed of the projectile as it enters the upper runway.

The space between the upper runway and the cover board 27 is divided longitudinally into a plurality of channels by a number of parallel walls 29, the upper or forward ends of which are tapered to a point to provide widened mouths for the channels into any one of which the ball may roll. These channels are marked respectively with the letters a, to is. Some of these namely a, b, (l, f, h,

.j and k in the present instance offer no obstruction to the passage of the ball down them and onto the exposed baseball diamond of the lower portion of the upper runway. The others are provided with staggered pins 30 projecting from the sides of the wall members 29 and constituting tortuous (passages through which the ball must fin way before reaching the diamond on which it can roll freely. These act as timing devices for retarding the ball initially and they retard it more or less according to the number of ins that are present. For instance the ball would emerge from the channel 6 much sooner than from the channel c. Also I prefer to make the mouths of the channels of the timing devices that provide for the greatest retarding action smaller than the others and in proportion to that action as shown for purposes of the game that will later appear.

To revent the ball from lodging against one o the pointed ends of the wall member 29, I provide ribs 31 leading to each of said points from the very edge of the upper runway 6. These may be formed by crimping transverse ribs in a stri of sheet metal 32 extending across the en of the runway.

At one side of the game board convenient to the players hand I provide a leaf spring 33 having key hole slots 34 by means of its.

which it is detachably secured beneath the heads of screws 35 in a side rail of the board. This spring carries resiliently an elongated box 36 forming a channel in which a ball 37 may roll from end to end as the box is tilted. The spring 33 normally holds the box tilted in one direction, as shown in Fig ure 8, but by depressing it with the finger against a stop 38 it may be caused to tilt in the opposite direction momentarily. As the ball rolls from one en'd'to the-other it encounters staggered pins 39 projecting from the sides of the box which retard its progress and cause it to measure an interval of time during each complete movement from end to end.

The game is pla ed in the following manner, although obvious modifications may be made to the rules herein prescribed:

The player that is having his inning tires the projectile 13 with the dcyicc 1t and immedlately depresses the timing device 36. If the projectile 13 is hit and deposited on the upperrunway 6 and finds its way into me of the unobstructed channels, (a, b, of etc. it will roll down to the rail it before the timing ball 37 has completed its trip along the box 38 and therunncr is out. it, however, it strikes the channel 6 it will be returdcd sulliciently so that it will not strike the rail 14 until just after the timing ball :38 has completed one trip and the player has made one base. l iimilarly should it strike the runways g, z and c the runner will make two, three or four bases respectively, the projectile 13 being sufficiently slowed by the home run channel '7 to permit of four trips of the timing ball 38, two in one direction and two in the other, it being understood that as long as the ball has not returned to the rail 14 the timing box 36 is successively depressed and reversed so that the ball 38 will roll baclr and forth and mark ofi' successive single base periods.

Of course the returnof the ball or projectile 13 is not alone dependent upon the timing devices at the top of the board as the players skill in striking it and giving -it force has something to do with the speed and manner with which it enters any 0 the timing channels and hence its pro ress therethrough, so that the game is a com ination of skill and chance.

The masking of the timing devices at the upper end of the/board by the cover board 2 adds to the excitement of the game as the luck of the projectile in entering a favorable or unfavorable channel is left a matter of sus use.

f course if the ball rolls into one of the opposing players hazards 12 the pin er is out anyway, or the runner at least, am as at first described three unsuccessful attempts to hit the ball 13 and drive it onto the upper runway strikes out the batter. Where the ball is hit but not suificiently fair to reach the upper runway a foul is recorded.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a game apparatus, the combination with a game board-having upper and lower runways, the upper runway being provided with a plurality of separate channels, of a projectile adapted to initially traverse the lower runway, a curved uide connecting the runways adapted to raise the pro'ectile onto the upper runway and direct one of the channels and a cover for the latter.

2. In a game apparatus, the combination with a game board having upper and lower runways, the upper runway being divided into channels some of which are provided with hazards, of a projectile adapted to initially traverse the lower runway and means for deflecting it and depos tingit upon the upper runway.

3. In a game ap aratus, the combination with a runway an apro ectile adapted to traverse the same, of a plurality oftiming devices occupying a part of the runwa vhaving unequal retarding effect throng any one of which the projectile is adapted to initially pass to impart to it a slow motion,

the remainder of the runway being adapted to an accelerated movement.

4. In a game up aratus, the combination with a runway an a projectile adapted to traverse the same, of a plurality of'timing devices occupying a part of the runwa and having unequal retarding effect throng any one of which the projectile is adapted to' initially pass to impart to it a slow motion,

into

the remainder of the runway being adapted to an accelerated movement and means for 6. In a game apparatus, the combination with a game board having upper and lower runways, of a projectile adapted to initiall traverse the lower runway, means for de ecting it to the upper runway, and a plurality of parallel timing channels in the latter having different retarding effects and through any one of which the projectile is adapted to roll.

7. In a game apparatus, the} combination with a game board having upper and lower runways, of a rojectile adapted to initial- 3' traverse the ower runway, means for deecting it to the upper runway, a-plurality of concealed timing channels on the latter .having different retarding effects and through any one of which the projectile is adapted to roll, and a plurality of hazards on the upper runway.

HERMAN w. STEINMETZ. 

